Movie film reels

5 Reasons Movies Are About to Get Better

The cinema ain’t what it used to be. The age of reboots has left us all a little disillusioned, and doubtful about the direction of Hollywood. You’ll find more than one major filmmaker spouting warnings about the dire future of movies. But, of course we’re at the cusp of a new golden age, right? Yes.…
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millennials taking selfie with selfie stick

Rebooting the Me Generation

I moved alongside a small group of peers from my exact demographic from an Imax movie into a theater corridor.  We were stopped dead in our tracks by the sound of something emerging from a nearby theater. It was heavy and roaring.  By the time we saw them it was too late. A horde! No!…
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movie set props

You Must Have rules!

To learn a craft is to learn rules. It’s the spine of our education as children. We’re made to recite facts and follow rules, and the assumption is we will take this combination and create a productive adult. When mastering a craft we are either lucky enough to have facts and rules explained to us,…
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ghost in a television

J.J. Abrams’ Mystery Box and Social Media

J.J. Abrams has built a career on the mystery box. He uses them to power his stories and drive consumers to marketing campaigns rather than away. If you haven’t seen him detail the importance of the mystery box on TED, stop wasting your time and play the video: Anyway, the idea goes something like this:…
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VHS tapes

Making Machines That Run on Characters

I’ve spent the last couple of years immersing myself in education and advice on screenwriting/storytelling. There’s a million storytelling ninjas out there with differing ideas on how it’s done and so many of them (who aren’t selling a book) will tell you that “how it’s done” is a very liquid thing. I decided my best…
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